MenuAMAN RATHEE

Introduction Primary objectives of catering establishments either it may be a small

road side dhaba or specialty restaurant is the selling in its widest sense of the product that is food and/or beverages. The common feature is menu regardless of its type. As soon as the diners approach to any dining area whether it is a fast food or bar the main sale tool is the menu. The other aspects of a dining area are physical building, décor, ambience, theme, color scheme and definitely a food and beverage service personnel who give the value and guest feel an over all view of the restaurant. Menu is an extension of all the policies whether it is financial, marketing or catering because while designing a menu we consider all the facts: type of diners, their age group, ratio of male and female, their spending power, taste and on the other hand pricing is totally based on location, type, style of service, range of menu items, operating hours, type of furniture, linen and so on.

History and Origin of MenuThere are lot of stories about the origin of menu,

Chinese believes that they given paper to the world so they invented the menu long back although no historical evidences are available for the same. Menu is derived from Latin word minutus which means some thing made small in French and in earlier time menu was written on chalk board (that is French word carte) and word a la carte came into the existence which means from the board.

There is a small but most popular story about the invention of menu, a small get together or party which was hosted by Duke Henry of Brunswick in the year 1541, on that day he passed a piece of paper which was carrying the information about the food and beverage items those were displayed to consume and the purpose of that paper was to inform the diners to make selection of the food and beverage items in advance according to their choice. After the event this slip of paper was termed as “menu”.

The word Menu has different opinions but there are two basic facts:

A long slip of paper Range of food and beverage items

Definitions and basic types of menu Menu is also termed as, “bill of fare” which means detailed small list, silent

sales man as it tells the diners about the choice of food and beverage items, price, portion size and in today’s time nutritional aspects or details of the menu item.

Montagne (1977) defined menu as a sheet of paper or card board on which all food and beverage items are written in a specific order which are to be served in succession at a given meal.

According to Fuller’s (1981) menu must fulfill its function of communication or informing a diner accurately what is offered to him.

Davis and Stone (1985) say that a good menu sets out consciously to assist to customer by gaining his confidence and setting him at ease.

By all above discussion we can derive definition of the word menu: menu is a list of food and beverage items offered by a catering organization to facilitate and ease to their diners and to earn the profit by catering establishment.

Features of a good menu card

Easy to understandComplete details of the menu itemsRanges of choices Specified portion sizeCalorie content and details of nutritive valuePrice

Basic types of menuThere are two broad categories of menu.

A la carteTable d’ hote

Ala carteLiteral meaning of a la carte is from the card and in this card menu items are featured with their prices so a guest can select the food and beverage items according to their paying capacity and choice of meal items. A la carte menu gives a lot of choice of meal items with a lot of variation in price ranges.

Characteristics of ala carte menu: Being usually a larger menu and offer a greater choice. Listing under the course headings all of the dishes that may be prepared by

the establishment. All dishes being prepared to order. Each dish being separately priced. Usually being more expensive than a table d 'hote menu. Often containing the exotic and high cost seasonal foods.

TABLE D’ HOTE The literal meaning of table d hote is “table of host”. These are fixed menu

with a fix price range and there is a limitation of selection of meal items to the guest.

Now a days industry is offering an extensive table d’ hote menu to their customer to meet out the competition in the catering market but initially there was a choice of one or two meal items with in the same course only.

In Indian context, Thali is the best suitable example of a table d’ hote menu as it carries fixed meal items with a fixed price. Meal combos are also the type of Table d’ Hote menu.

Characteristics of table d’ hote Being a restricted menu. Offering a small number of courses, usually three or four. A limited choice within each course. A fixed selling price. All the dishes being ready at a set time.

Difference between A la Carte and Table D’ HoteKey words A la carte Table d’ hote Literal meaning From the board or card Table of the host Price Items are individually

priced A fixed price for bundle of items

Choice of dishes Highly elaborated Restriction in choices of dishes Preparation and Waiting time

Higher Low

Portion size Higher LowOperating cost Higher LowSales man skills Higher LowInfrastructure Higher LowProfitability to the owner Low Higher Level of guest’s satisfaction

Higher Low

Average spending power Higher Low

Other Forms of Menu As we know menus is the portfolio of food and beverage

items offered by catering establishment to a customer within the resources of food and beverage operation. There are different types of menu depending on various factors:

Meal Times: such as breakfast, afternoon tea , lunch, high tea, dinner etc,

Function: birthday menu, farewell party menu, marriage ceremony menu.

By Outlet: coffee shop menu, room service menu, specialty restaurant menu, grill room menu.

Frequency of usage: static, cyclic, single use men.

Meal times Breakfast (French: Petit dejuner) menus:

These menus are differing from luncheon or dinner menus and consist of two to eight courses. Continental and English breakfast are very popular now a day. Indian breakfast consists of regional delicacies and most popular in Asian countries. Most of the time hotels used a room service breakfast door knob to offer breakfast in the room for the convenience to the guests as well as for themselves.

Lunch (Fr. Luncheon or dejeuner)/ Dinner (Fr. Diner) menu

The compilation of luncheon or dinner menu is extremely important and requires expert knowledge and good judgment on part of the hotelier/ caterer. basic difference between luncheon menu and dinner menu:

Luncheon menu is lighter than dinner menu. Salads are the essential part of the luncheon menu while alcoholic

drinks are essential part of a dinner menu. Luncheon menu comprises of soups/ sandwiches and salads while

dinner menu is most elaborate and may have 5-7 courses. Meal and service time is short during the luncheon in comparison

to dinner time. Service staff gets better opportunities to show their skills during

dinner as it is a leisure dining experience to the diners.

Supper (Fr. Souper ) MenuA short menu and it is a lighter meal for those

who dined early in the evening or very late night, supper comprises of three courses only. There are two types of supper menu very popular in the industry. Early evening supper menu comprises of three courses namely as soup, entrée and a dessert while late night supper menu have just two courses and mostly offered choice of sandwiches with hot cocoa or fruit.

Tea menu These vary considerably, depending on the type of establishment.

The high class hotel usually offers a dainty menu. There are three different occasions for planning a tea menu: tea at 1100 hrs, afternoon tea (Fr. le five o’clock) and evening tea.

Suggestive List of menu items for planning various types of tea menus: Sandwiches Egg Preparations Fried Fish Preparations Cold Meats and Salads Pastries and Cakes Ice Creams/ Sundaes/ Coupes Tea and Coffee

Function menuFunction menu is a type of table d’ hote menu,

offered by a catering establishment to their guest those are interested to hire the banquet service for organizing a function. Although a set pattern of table d’ hote menu is designed for almost all functions but after proposing a few changes by good banquet manager or banquet sales representative and by the host, menu is converted into a specific function menu. Attractive packages are offered by most of the hotels and catering units to promote their function menus.

Buffet MenuBuffet type meals vary considerably depending on the

occasion, and the price paid, from the simple finger buffet, where all items prepared are proportioned to a small size so that the customer may consume it without the use of any cutlery, to the exotic fork buffets where hot and cold food is available and where many large dishes will be carved and portioned for the individual guest. Buffets are frequently prepared for such occasions as wedding receptions, press receptions, presentations and conferences. Buffets can be classified as a form of table d' hote menu as they offer a restricted. Menu, a limited choice of only what is on the Buffet, A Predetermined Set Price and all the dishes are available at a set time.

Plat du Jour Most of the large and first class establishments each day carry an item

called “plat du jour” (dish of the day). This is basically a main dish prepared by the chef to promote the sales of the outlet. A Plat du Jour should always be a ready dish. A good waiter must be aware not only of the Plat Du jour or Specialty of the day but also of seasonable dishes to promote the sale of food and beverage outlet.

Guidelines for preparations and service of Plat du Jour: Items quoted on the Plat du Jour should be complete with side dishes

such as potato preparations and green vegetables. Plat du Jour should be a ready dish and diner should not be allowed to

wait. Always use fresh raw materials to prepare Plat du Jour. Always think about target client before planning a Plat du Jour and

never neglect young diners as they are very choosy in their selection and always ask what is new or specialty of the house for the day.

Carte du JourMeans cards of the day and it is basically a

complete fix menu with fix price offered by a catering establishment for promoting sales. Carte du jour comprises of 3-5 courses and chef gets an opportunity to promote his/ her skills.Menu has choice within the courses and menu items should be differ from regular a la carte menu and based on availability of raw material, adaptable in market and according to season.

Cyclic menu Cyclic menu is very popular in the welfare sector e.g.

institutional, industrial, hospital, jail mess etc and menu is repeated after a week or two week. These menus featured all major meals of the day such as breakfast, lunch and dinner and most of the time serve a sweet on weekends and depends on price paid by the diners. These are a series of table d' hote menus, for example for three weeks, which are repeated again and again for a set period of, for example, four months. These are often used in institutional, hospitals and industrial catering as an aid to establishing a pattern of customer demand for a menu item and as a result assist purchasing, preparation of items, arid staffing requirements.

Day / Meal Breakfast Lunch Dinner Sunday Poha, Bread Toasts, Guava,

Tea/ Coffee. Arhar Dal Fry, Mixed Dry Vegetables, Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad

Dum Aloo Banarsi, Paneer Makhani, Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad, Rasgulla

Monday Aloo Paratha, Curd, Banana, Tea/ Coffee.

Kadhi Pakoda , Potato Cauliflower Vegetables, Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad

Mutter Paneer, Bhindi Do Pyaza , Dal Sultani, Chapattis, Jeera Rice,chapatti, Onion Raita, Green Salad, Pickle, Papad, Rasmalai.

Tuesday Bread Pakora, Upma, Apple, Tea/ Coffee.

Urad Dal Fry, Carrot Capsicum Dry Vegetable, Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad

Chholey Peshawari, Aloo Gobhi Masala, Dal Moong Sabut, Chapattis, Vegetable Biryani, Mint Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad, Gulab Jamun.

Wednesday Poori Bhaji, Vegetable Cutlet, Papaya, Tea/ Coffee

Moong Dal Sabut , Baigan Ka Bhurta , Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad

Malai Kofta, Mixed Vegetables, Dal Panchmel, Lime Rice, Chapattis, Lauki Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad, Modak.

Thursday Idli, Vada, Sambhar, Coconut Chutney, Banana, Tea/ Coffee

Rajma, Bhindi Kurkeri, Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad

Palak Paneer, Dal Makhani, Jeera Aloo, Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Mixed Vegetable Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad, Basundi.

Friday Chholey, Bhature, Guava, Tea/ Coffee

Dal Makhani, Dry Cabbage , Chapattis, Boiled Rice, Curd/ Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad

Gate Ki Sabzi, Shahi Paneer, Cabbage Foogath, Boiled Rice, Chapattis,Curd Salad, Pickle, Papad, Moti Choor Ka Ladoo

Saturday Omelette with Toasts/ Paneer Paratha with Curd, Papaya, Tea/Coffee.

Sambhar, Rasam, Boiled Rice, Chapattis, Coconut Chutney, Sweet Curd, Achar, Papad,

Mutton Korma/ Paneer Pasanda, Rajma Masala, Stuffed Capsicum, Steamed Rice, Chapattis, Pineapple Raita, Salad, Pickle, Papad, Ice Cream.

By Outlet Carving menu are offered from a carving trolley /table and

carried a lot of choice long joints of meat, cheese board with biscuits and butter, sweet items such as cakes, fruit salads, fruit pie and different types of fresh vegetables and salads.

Room service menu: These menus are offered in lodging property to the residential guests. It has a large variety of choice of meal items and generally these menus are a la carte and heavily priced. Menu comprises of all the meals of the day with their specific time of service.

Hospital menus: These usually take the form of a menu card given to the patient the day before service so that his or her preferences can be ticked.

Banquet Menu is a type of table d’ hote menu, offered by a catering establishment to their guest those are interested to hire the banquet service for organizing a function. Although a set pattern of table d’ hote menu is designed for almost all functions but after proposing a few changes by good banquet manager or banquet sales representative and by the host, menu is converted into a specific function menu. Attractive packages are offered by most of the hotels and catering units to promote their function menus. A banquet menu is a fixed menu at a set price offering usually no choice whatsoever to the customers, unless the client informs the caterer in advance that 'certain guests require, say, a vegetarian or kosher type meal, and is available to all guests at a predetermined time.

Coffee House Menu: A coffee house menu is a more types of food recent form of table d' hote menu which is commonly used today in hotels and restaurants. This type of menu is characterized by:

Being a set menu offered often for twelve to eighteen hours of the day.

Being reasonably priced, with often each dish or section of the menu individually priced.

Offering a range and choice of items that are suitable for snacks, light meals, lunch or dinner.

Offering a limited range of foods that are either already cooked, are of the convenience type food category and require little preparation time, or are simple and quick to cook, for example omelet’s, hamburgers, etc.

A simplified form of service being offered, for example plate service, counter service, etc.

Special Promotion Menu is a form of a la carte menu which is at times offered to the guest in addition to a la carte menu. This type of menu is concerned with the selling of a particular part of a menu to increase the interest for the customer, to increase the average spending by the customer and in turn to increase the turnover and profit for the caterer. Promotions may be made by specially printing attractive menus for such items as: Shellfish, when an increased variety of shellfish and special dishes

would be made available. Soft fruits, when various types of berry fruits such as strawberries,

raspberries, loganberries, etc., would be featured in special dishes. The game season, when pheasant, grouse, etc., would be featured

in pates, soups, and special main course dishes.Dishes cooked or prepared at the table, for example crepes Suzette, steak Diane, etc.

Menu of Kebab Factory Non Vegetarian VegetarianGalaouti KebabBasil ChoozaMachhli TikkaMurgh Tikka MasalaBarrah KebabSeekh KebabMurgh BiryaniDal Tadka

Subz Galaouti KebabChutney Wale AlooKale Chane Ki TikkiMewa Mawe Ki SeekhTandoori SaladSubz BiryaniPalak Paneer Dal Factory  

Desserts of the day

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